Smart-watch including flip up display

ABSTRACT

A smart-watch can include a wristband, a base, and a flip up portion. The base can be coupled to the wristband and include a housing, a processor, a wireless transceiver, and a tactile user interface. The wireless transceiver can be configured to connect to a wireless network. The tactile user interface can be configured to provide interaction between a user and the smart-watch. The flip up portion can be displaceable between an open position exposing the base and a closed position concealing the base. Further, the flip up portion can include: a top display exposed when the flip up portion is in the closed position, and an inside display opposite the top display. The inside display can be concealed when the flip up portion is in the closed position and be exposed when the flip up portion is in the open position.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/590,456, filed Aug. 21, 2012, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/281,819, filed on Oct. 26, 2011, now U.S. Pat.No. 8,279,716, issued Oct. 2, 2012. The entire disclosure of each of theabove applications is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to display features included in asmart-watch.

BACKGROUND

The background description provided herein is for the purpose ofgenerally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of thepresently named inventors, to the extent it is described in thisbackground section, as well as aspects of the description that may nototherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neitherexpressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the presentdisclosure.

A variety of portable user devices provide wireless networkconnectivity. Various features of a device often require a user toaccess the device at inconvenient times to perform a desired function.As a result, a user may simply not employ the device to its fullcapabilities.

SUMMARY

In various embodiments of the present disclosure, a smart-watch caninclude a wristband, a base, a flip up portion, and a camera. The basecan be coupled to the wristband and include: a housing, a processor, awireless transceiver in communication with the processor, and a tactileuser interface in communication with the processor and coupled to thehousing. The wireless transceiver can be configured to connect to awireless network. Further, the tactile user interface can be configuredto provide interaction between a user and the smart-watch. The flip upportion can be in communication with the processor and be coupled to thebase. Further, the flip up portion can be displaceable between an openposition exposing the base and a closed position concealing the base.The flip up portion can include: a top display exposed when the flip upportion is in the closed position, and an inside display opposite thetop display. The inside display can be concealed when the flip upportion is in the closed position and exposed when the flip up portionis in the open position. The camera can be in communication with theprocessor and be coupled to one of the base and the flip up portion. Theflip up portion can form a viewfinder for the camera when in the openposition and be configured to display information regarding an imagewithin the viewfinder.

In various embodiments of the present disclosure, a smart-watch caninclude a wristband, a base, and a flip up portion. The base can becoupled to the wristband and include: a housing, a processor, a wirelesstransceiver in communication with the processor, and a tactile userinterface in communication with the processor. The wireless transceivercan be configured to connect to a wireless network. Further, the tactileuser interface can be coupled to the housing and be configured toprovide interaction between a user and the smart-watch. The flip upportion can be in communication with the processor and be coupled to thebase. The flip up portion can be displaceable between an open positionexposing the base and a closed position concealing the base. Further,the flip up portion can include: a top display exposed when the flip upportion is in the closed position, and an inside display opposite thetop display. The inside display can be concealed when the flip upportion is in the closed position and be exposed when the flip upportion is in the open position.

In various embodiments of the present disclosure, a smart-watch caninclude a wristband, a base, a flip up portion, and a camera. The basecan be coupled to the wristband and include: a housing, a processor, anda wireless transceiver in communication with the processor. The wirelesstransceiver can be configured to connect to a wireless network. The flipup portion can be in communication with the processor and be coupled tothe base and displaceable between an open position and a closedposition. The camera can be in communication with the processor and becoupled to one of the base and the flip up portion. The flip up portioncan form a viewfinder for the camera when in the open position and beconfigured to display information regarding an image within theviewfinder.

Further areas of applicability of the present disclosure will becomeapparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It shouldbe understood that the detailed description and specific examples areintended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limitthe scope of the disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure will become more fully understood from thedetailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an example smart-watch accordingto the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the smart-watch shown in FIG. 1 with aflip up portion in the closed position;

FIG. 3 is an additional perspective view of the smart-watch shown inFIG. 1 with the flip up portion in the open position;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the smart-watch shown in FIG. 1 in afirst application; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the smart-watch shown in FIG. 1 in asecond application.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to FIGS. 1-3, a smart-watch 10 is illustrated. Thesmart-watch 10 may include a base 12, a wristband 14 coupled to the base12, a flip up portion 16, a hinge 18 coupled to the base 12 and the flipup portion 16, and a camera 20. The base 12 may include a housing 22, aprocessor 24 coupled to the housing 22, a wireless transceiver 26coupled to the housing and in communication with the processor 24, and atactile user interface 28 in communication with the processor 24 andcoupled to the housing 22. The processor 24 may be in communication withthe flip up portion 16 and the camera 20. The wireless transceiver 26can provide a connection to a wireless network 100. Examples of thewireless network include, but are not limited to, the Internet, a widearea network, a local area network, a satellite network, atelecommunications network, a private network, and combinations ofthese.

The tactile user interface 28 provides interaction between a user andthe smart-watch 10. The tactile user interface 28 may take a variety offorms including, but not limited to, a touchpad or a touchscreen. Theflip up portion 16 may be displaceable between a closed position (FIG.2) and an open position (FIG. 3). The base 12 may be partly orcompletely concealed when the flip up portion 16 is in the closedposition and may be exposed when the flip up portion 16 is in the openposition. The flip up portion 16 may include a top display 30 and aninside display 32 opposite the top display 30. The inclusion of a flipup portion 16 as the display for the smart-watch 10 provides a greatersurface area for the tactile user interface 28 for user interaction withthe smart-watch 10. The tactile user interface 28 may be large enough totrack a user's finger for touchpad functions. By way of non-limitingexample, the tactile user interface 28 may include a touchpad or atouchscreen display covering at least seventy-five percent of thelateral surface of the base 12.

The top display 30 may be exposed when the flip up portion 16 is in theclosed position. The inside display 32 may be concealed when the flip upportion 16 is in the closed position and may be exposed when the flip upportion 16 is in the open position. The top and inside displays 30, 32may take a variety of forms. By way of non-limiting example, the topdisplay 30 and the inside display 32 may be two separate liquid crystaldisplays (LCDs). Alternatively, a single translucent LCD display may beused without backlighting with the outer surface forming the top display30 and the inner surface forming the inside display 32. Further yet,smart glass may be used for the flip up portion 16 and the insidedisplay 32 may be illuminated when the flip up portion 16 is open usinga frosted display acting as a diffuser. Additional arrangements includeuse of ambient light or light emitting diodes (LEDs) on the edge of theflip up portion 16 for illumination and/or the use of organic LEDs(OLEDs).

The hinge 18 may include or may be engaged with a position sensor 34that detects displacement of the flip up portion 16 relative to the base12. The position sensor 34 may be in communication with the processor 24and may sense when the flip up portion 16 is in the open position, theclosed position and an intermediate partially open position. The insidedisplay 32 may be powered off when the flip up portion 16 is in theclosed position. The position sensor 34 may additionally controlinformation displayed on the top display 30 and/or the inside display32.

The top display 30 may display a first set of information and the insidedisplay 32 may display a second set of information different from thefirst set of information. As seen in FIG. 2, the top display 30 maydisplay information that is acceptable by the user for public viewing,such as the time, date and/or a number of e-mails in the user's inbox.As seen in FIG. 3, the inside display may display information that theuser determines is private and not acceptable for public viewing such asan e-mail inbox and/or the body of an e-mail message. The inside display32 may display a portion of the second set of information on an upperportion when the flip up portion 16 is in an intermediate positionbetween the closed position and the open position. By way ofnon-limiting example, the intermediate position may include informationregarding recent received messages.

The camera 20 may be coupled to the base 12 or the flip up portion 16.In the example shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the camera 20 is located on theflip up portion 16. The processor 24 may activate the camera 20 when theflip up portion 16 is opened. The inside display 32 of the flip upportion 16 may form a partially transparent (or translucent) display inorder to form an optical viewfinder for the camera 20. As discussedabove, ambient light or LEDs on the edge of the inside display 32 may beused to illuminate the inside display 32 when the flip up portion 16 isin the open position. The inside display 32 may display additionalinformation with the image included for the viewfinder function.

The image shown on the inside display 32 may be analyzed and informationrelated to the image may be provided on the inside display 32 with theimage. Information regarding the image may be provided by localreal-time image scanning or may be sent to a computing device via thenetwork for image analysis. As used in the present disclosure, acomputing device may include one or more servers and/or processors. Twonon-limiting examples of image analysis using the smart-watch 10 arediscussed below.

The first non-limiting example, seen in FIG. 4, includes an applicationwhere a user receives product information from the smart-watch 10. Theuser may open the flip up portion 16 and capture an image of the desiredproduct on the camera 20. As discussed above, the inside display 32 ofthe flip up portion 16 may form an optical viewfinder for the camera 20.Therefore, the image may be seen on the inside display 32 by the user.Product information may be retrieved in a variety of ways including, butnot limited to, bar code scanning of the product or image analysis ofthe product. In the arrangement using bar code scanning, the bar code ofthe product may be located within the optical viewfinder (inside display32 of the flip up portion 16) and sent to a computing device via thenetwork to retrieve information regarding the product. The informationmay then be displayed on the inside display 32.

In the arrangement using image analysis, the product image may be sentto a computing device via the network to identify the product andretrieve information regarding the product. The information may then bedisplayed on the inside display 32. In either of the arrangementsdiscussed above for product identification, the top display 30 and theinside display 32 may be partially transparent to provide both viewingof the product image through the inside display 32 and the productinformation displayed on the inside display 32. Product information mayinclude a variety of features including, but not limited to, nutritionalinformation (health rating), whether the user has the product at home,coupons, other related advertisements or pricing information.

The second non-limiting example, seen in FIG. 5, includes an applicationwhere a user receives directional information from the smart-watch 10.The user may open the flip up portion 16 and provide a desireddestination to the smart-watch in a variety of ways including, but notlimiting to, inputting the destination via a user interface defined onthe base 12 or speaking the desired destination into a microphone 36(FIG. 1) of the smart-watch 10 in communication with the processor 24.The spoken destination may be shown on the inside display 32. Thesmart-watch 10 may determine a current location of the user in a varietyof ways including, but not limited to, an internal global positioningsystem (GPS) within the smart-watch 10, GPS from a cellular phone of theuser, Wi-Fi triangulation using the wireless transceiver 26 or analysisof an image of the current location of the user captured by the camera20.

The smart-watch 10 may then display directions to the desireddestination on the inside display 32 or may provide audible directions.The directions may include turn-by-turn directions based on the view inthe seen by the user in the optical viewfinder defined by the flip upportion 16 with a compass display and time and distance to thedestination. In the arrangement where directions are included in theinside display 32, the top display 30 and the inside display 32 may bepartially transparent to provide both viewing of the environment (streetview) through the inside display 32 and directions displayed on theinside display 32. Audible directions may be provided in addition to thedirections on the inside display 32. Alternatively, if audibledirections are used in place of displaying directions on the insidedisplay, the top display 30 and the inside display 32 may both betransparent while directions are provided to the user.

Example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will bethorough, and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled inthe art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples ofspecific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thoroughunderstanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will beapparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not beemployed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many differentforms and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of thedisclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known procedures,well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are notdescribed in detail.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularexample embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As usedherein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” may be intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. The term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one ormore of the associated listed items. The terms “comprises,”“comprising,” “including,” and “having,” are inclusive and thereforespecify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations,elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence oraddition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations,elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The method steps,processes, and operations described herein are not to be construed asnecessarily requiring their performance in the particular orderdiscussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order ofperformance. It is also to be understood that additional or alternativesteps may be employed.

Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein todescribe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections,these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should notbe limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguishone element, component, region, layer or section from another region,layer or section. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numericalterms when used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearlyindicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region,layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element,component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachingsof the example embodiments.

As used herein, the term module may refer to, be part of, or include: anApplication Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC); an electronic circuit; acombinational logic circuit; a field programmable gate array (FPGA); aprocessor or a distributed network of processors (shared, dedicated, orgrouped) and storage in networked clusters or datacenters that executescode or a process; other suitable components that provide the describedfunctionality; or a combination of some or all of the above, such as ina system-on-chip. The term module may also include memory (shared,dedicated, or grouped) that stores code executed by the one or moreprocessors.

The term code, as used above, may include software, firmware, byte-codeand/or microcode, and may refer to programs, routines, functions,classes, and/or objects. The term shared, as used above, means that someor all code from multiple modules may be executed using a single(shared) processor. In addition, some or all code from multiple modulesmay be stored by a single (shared) memory. The term group, as usedabove, means that some or all code from a single module may be executedusing a group of processors. In addition, some or all code from a singlemodule may be stored using a group of memories.

The techniques described herein may be implemented by one or morecomputer programs executed by one or more processors. The computerprograms include processor-executable instructions that are stored on anon-transitory tangible computer readable medium. The computer programsmay also include stored data. Non-limiting examples of thenon-transitory tangible computer readable medium are nonvolatile memory,magnetic storage, and optical storage.

Some portions of the above description present the techniques describedherein in terms of algorithms and symbolic representations of operationson information. These algorithmic descriptions and representations arethe means used by those skilled in the data processing arts to mosteffectively convey the substance of their work to others skilled in theart. These operations, while described functionally or logically, areunderstood to be implemented by computer programs. Furthermore, it hasalso proven convenient at times to refer to these arrangements ofoperations as modules or by functional names, without loss ofgenerality.

Unless specifically stated otherwise as apparent from the abovediscussion, it is appreciated that throughout the description,discussions utilizing terms such as “processing” or “computing” or“calculating” or “determining” or “displaying” or the like, refer to theaction and processes of a computer system, or similar electroniccomputing device, that manipulates and transforms data represented asphysical (electronic) quantities within the computer system memories orregisters or other such information storage, transmission or displaydevices.

Certain aspects of the described techniques include process steps andinstructions described herein in the form of an algorithm. It should benoted that the described process steps and instructions could beembodied in software, firmware or hardware, and when embodied insoftware, could be downloaded to reside on and be operated fromdifferent platforms used by real time network operating systems.

The present disclosure also relates to an apparatus for performing theoperations herein. This apparatus may be specially constructed for therequired purposes, or it may comprise a general-purpose computerselectively activated or reconfigured by a computer program stored on acomputer readable medium that can be accessed by the computer. Such acomputer program may be stored in a tangible computer readable storagemedium, such as, but is not limited to, any type of disk includingfloppy disks, optical disks, CD-ROMs, magnetic-optical disks, read-onlymemories (ROMs), random access memories (RAMs), EPROMs, EEPROMs,magnetic or optical cards, application specific integrated circuits(ASICs), or any type of media suitable for storing electronicinstructions, and each coupled to a computer system bus. Furthermore,the computers referred to in the specification may include a singleprocessor or may be architectures employing multiple processor designsfor increased computing capability.

The algorithms and operations presented herein are not inherentlyrelated to any particular computer or other apparatus. Variousgeneral-purpose systems may also be used with programs in accordancewith the teachings herein, or it may prove convenient to construct morespecialized apparatuses to perform the required method steps. Therequired structure for a variety of these systems will be apparent tothose of skill in the art, along with equivalent variations. Inaddition, the present disclosure is not described with reference to anyparticular programming language. It is appreciated that a variety ofprogramming languages may be used to implement the teachings of thepresent disclosure as described herein, and any references to specificlanguages are provided for disclosure of enablement and best mode of thepresent invention.

The present disclosure is well suited to a wide variety of computernetwork systems over numerous topologies. Within this field, theconfiguration and management of large networks comprise storage devicesand computers that are communicatively coupled to dissimilar computersand storage devices over a network, such as the Internet.

The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided forpurposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to beexhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or featuresof a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particularembodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be usedin a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described.The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to beregarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modificationsare intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A smart-watch comprising: a housing configured toconnect a wristband; at least one processor; a wireless transceiver incommunication with the at least one processor and configured to receiveinformation wirelessly; a user interface in communication with the atleast one processor and configured to provide interaction between a userand the smart-watch; a camera in communication with the at least oneprocessor; and a flip up portion in communication with the at least oneprocessor, the flip up portion being displaceable between an openposition and a closed position and including: a top display exposed whenthe flip up portion is in the closed position, and an inside displayopposite the top display, the inside display being at least partiallyconcealed when the flip up portion is in the closed position and beingexposed when the flip up portion is in the open position, wherein theflip up portion forms a viewfinder for the camera when in the openposition and is configured to display information regarding an itemvisible within the viewfinder concurrently with an image of the item,while the image is visible within the viewfinder.
 2. The smart-watch ofclaim 1, wherein the top display displays a first set of information forviewing and the inside display displays a second set of information,comprising the information regarding the item visible within theviewfinder, for viewing, different from the first set of information,the first set of information being considered acceptable for publicviewing by a user.
 3. The smart-watch of claim 2, wherein: the secondset of information is displayed on the inside display when the flip upportion is in the open position, the inside display being in an offcondition with the second set of information not being displayed whenthe flip up portion is in the closed position, and the inside displaydisplaying a portion of the second set of information when the flip upportion is in an intermediate position between the open position and theclosed position.
 4. The smart-watch of claim 1, wherein the additionalinformation regarding the image is received from a computing device viathe wireless transceiver.
 5. The smart-watch of claim 1, wherein the topdisplay and inside display comprise a translucent LCD having an outersurface and an inner surface, the outer surface forming the top displayand the inner surface forming the inside display.
 6. The smart-watch ofclaim 1, wherein the top display and inside display are formed of smartglass, wherein the inside display is illuminated when the flip upportion is in the open position with a frosted display acting as adiffuser.
 7. The smart-watch of claim 1, wherein the flip up portion isat least partially transparent when in the open position to form theviewfinder.
 8. The smart-watch of claim 1, wherein the user interfaceincludes a touch screen display.
 9. The smart-watch of claim 1, furthercomprising one or more light emitting diodes arranged on an edge of theinside display, the one or more light emitting diodes configured toilluminate the inside display when the flip up portion is in the openposition.
 10. A smart-watch comprising: a housing configured to connectto a wristband; at least one processor; a wireless transceiver incommunication with the at least one processor and configured to receiveinformation wirelessly; a camera in communication with the at least oneprocessor; and a flip up portion in communication with the at least oneprocessor and displaceable between an open position and a closedposition, the flip up portion forming a viewfinder for the camera whenin the open position and configured to display information regarding anitem visible within the viewfinder, the information including productinformation when the item is a product or including directionalinformation when the item is a geographic location, wherein the flip upportion is at least partially transparent when in the open position toform the viewfinder.
 11. The smart-watch of claim 10, wherein theinformation related to the image includes product information when aproduct is displayed in the viewfinder.
 12. The smart-watch of claim 10,wherein the information related to the image includes directionalinformation when a geographic location is displayed in the viewfinder.13. The smart-watch of claim 12, wherein the flip up portion is at leastpartially transparent when in the open position to form the viewfinderand is configured to display the directional information and thegeographic location simultaneously.
 14. The smart-watch of claim 10,wherein the information regarding the image is received from a computingdevice via the wireless transceiver.
 15. The smart-watch of claim 14,further comprising one or more light emitting diodes arranged on an edgeof the inside display, the one or more light emitting diodes configuredto illuminate the inside display when the flip up portion is in the openposition.
 16. A smart-watch comprising: a housing configured to connectto a wristband; at least one processor; a wireless transceiver incommunication with the at least one processor and configured to receiveinformation wirelessly; a camera in communication with the at least oneprocessor; and a flip up portion in communication with the at least oneprocessor and displaceable between an open position and a closedposition, the flip up portion forming a viewfinder for the camera whenin the open position and configured to display information regarding anitem visible within the viewfinder, wherein the at least one processoris configured to: (i) activate the camera when the flip up portion is inthe open position and (ii) activate an image retrieval system thatgenerates additional information related to an image captured by thecamera when the flip up portion is in the open position.
 17. Thesmart-watch of claim 16, wherein the flip up portion is at leastpartially transparent when in the open position to form the viewfinder.18. The smart-watch of claim 16, wherein the information regarding theimage is received from a computing device via the wireless transceiver.19. The smart-watch of claim 16, wherein the flip up portion includes atop display exposed when the flip up portion is in the closed position,and an inside display opposite the top display, the inside display beingconcealed when the flip up portion is in the closed position and beingexposed when the flip up portion is in the open position, the topdisplay displaying a first set of information for viewing and the insidedisplay displaying a second set of information for viewing differentfrom the first set of information, the first set of information beingconsidered acceptable for public viewing by a user.